Jamaican born, Canadian raised, and living in Israel for the past 22 years, songwriter, teacher and mother, Shoshana Kent, certainly has a unique perspective to share. She wrote her first song lyric when she was just 13, and has been writing ever since.

“It is one of the things that I am most passionate about and I couldn’t imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn’t had that creative outlet.”

Was “Rebecca” a real person in your life?

I went to elementary school in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada with a girl named Rebecca. She was quiet, very shy, from a poor family, very much an outsider and we didn’t know much about her. Although we were not friends and I never saw her again after elementary school, I guess she made an impression on me and I was curious as to what had happened to her. When I was in my mid-20s, I wrote the poem “Rebecca.” In the poem, I imagined myself as Rebecca’s childhood friend and made up a story about what happened to her. Many years later, I realize that I am also Rebecca in some ways. Collaborating with Demo My Song has been a dream come true! The song has also had an unexpected effect on me. In the months since the song was published, I have been much more vocal with my thoughts, feelings and opinions and have found that, when I am brave and speak up, it not only makes me feel more alive, it also helps others.

In your opinion, what makes the most impactful songs?

If someone feels something after reading my poem or lyric or has an insight into some aspect of their life, then I feel like I have done a good job. I think the purpose of art is to enable us to feel, think, understand, learn and grow.

“I think the purpose of art is to enable us to feel, think, understand, learn and grow.”

Do you have any one indispensable tools when you write a song?

I love rhymes so almost all of my poems or lyrics rhyme. I also love using humor where appropriate. For the past four years, I have written a song (to well-known tunes) about my graduating Grade 12 English class and I have left my comfort zone by singing the song for the students. Yikes! That has been the hardest part. I have used a lot of humor in these songs.

What is your dream song project?

My dream song project is to write the lyrics for a musical or, at the very least, to have one of my lyrics appear in a musical. I would also love to have my songs sung live. The more people that hear them, the happier I am.